How science can help us to attain a more ‘spiritual’ existence
Nostalgia is a complex, ‘bittersweet’ emotion, evoked by a romanticised view of the past. Common to most people all around the world, the experience of nostalgia has been shown to improve mood, bolster social bonds and give a greater sense of ‘meaning’ to our lives (Sedikides and Wildschut, 2018).
Clearly then, for us to experience nostalgia we will need particular memories, or notions of the past that have already been ‘romanticised’. But what is this transformational process of ‘romanticising’, and how, when, why does it occur?
I can remember wondering about this as a teenager; so many vague memories from my early childhood seemed to be steeped in a kind of magical aura, and I questioned whether recollections of my everyday life in the 1980s would someday become suffused by a similar, idealising gloss. Decades later I can report that this did indeed happen through some mysterious, selective mental process, which has left certain aspects or events of that period of my life feeling deeply ‘special’ – triggering emotions of nostalgia.
This transformation from ‘everyday’ to ‘extraordinary’ clearly shows that nostalgia is aroused, not so much by our actual recollections of events, but from an illusory influence that overlays our thoughts and memories from childhood onwards.
My continued interest in these and other related psychological phenomena led me to theorise that human beings have a natural tendency to perceive certain persons, places or things as having an otherworldly quality of ‘specialness’ about them. Research later showed that most people do indeed possess such a trait from an early age (Johnson & Laidler, 2020) where fleeting, abstract notions of desirability and transcendence become attached to aspects of the world around us. Quite ordinary places or objects from our childhood, sunsets and waterfalls, festive lights, movie stars and musicians can all elicit this intangible, magical sense of wonderment.
The perception of this enigmatic, otherworldly ‘specialness’, known as ‘hagioptasia’ (meaning ‘holy vision’), is not an emotion itself, but arouses emotions within us, such as a deep sense of longing, or admiration, or even the more pernicious emotion of ‘envy’. Sights, sounds or smells we experience in everyday life may trigger our sense of hagioptasia, while ‘nostalgia’ is evoked by a hagioptasic sheen, which ‘romanticises’ our notions and memories of the past.
It may appear evident that nostalgia is just one of the many ways in which people respond to the effects of hagioptasia, yet so far no research has been undertaken to further explore this relationship. However, while around 80% of adults report experiencing nostalgia on regular occasions (Wildschut et al., 2006), our survey of nearly 3000 participants showed that a similar percentage are familiar with hagioptasic experiences in other contexts.
Due to its numinous or transcendental qualities, hagioptasia is regularly interpreted by many people as being a fundamentally ‘spiritual’ or religious experience – the sensing of the divine. Unsurprisingly then, recent research has shown that individuals who are more prone to nostalgia are more likely to consider themselves as being spiritual (Biskas et al., 2022).
But just as hagioptasia transforms our visions of the past to create nostalgia, the same romanticising process is applied to notions of the future too; if only we could achieve our ambitions – the dream house, dream job, become a great success, a celebrity – then surely we would make real that deep sense of specialness? Although these intangible, fleeting notions of specialness do feel so deep and authentic, they cannot be realised as such, and those who attempt to do this will be left feeling disappointed, frustrated and more (see Robbie Williams Syndrome).
The ways in which hagioptasia motivates people to compete and acquire things (including ‘social status’) suggest a sound explanation for its existence. The feelings of longing evoked by this natural trait could also be seen to provide an evolutionary advantage in guiding us back to the safety of our homeland and our kinsfolk – feelings that we now call ‘nostalgia’.
No doubt many people might consider it unwise to attribute all this enchantment and spirituality to the workings of an evolved psychological drive, regardless of what science may show. But I believe that the misinterpretation of hagioptasia’s influence continues to do far more damage than it does good. An understanding of this trait, and an awareness of how it manipulates our thoughts and behaviours is not only key to avoiding some serious pitfalls, but also enables us to foster the more positive aspects of our hagioptasic experiences.
For as long as I can remember, hearing the song of a blackbird on a Summer evening has been very effective at arousing my emotions of nostalgia. Albeit with a great sense of charm, these experiences have also been tinged with poignant feelings of loss and longing, as if the bird was only reminding me of a more magical time, and a more magical birdsong. But with an understanding of the illusory workings of hagioptasia it is possible to see that there never was any mystical golden period in my distant past (my parents would surely have told me anyway), and that the blackbirds living in my garden today are just as special as any that have ever lived. The truth is that we possess a natural tendency to see such glory in the everyday – the people, places, and all the other things around us – and using this power wisely has long been known to humankind as ‘spirituality’.
Written by
Dan Laidler
Dan Laidler is a leading authority in the field of hagioptasia research. @_MagicWizard
References
Biskas, M., Juhl, J., Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., & Saroglou, V. (2022). Nostalgia and spirituality: The roles of self-continuity and meaning in life. Social Psychology, 53(3), 152.
Johnson, J. A., & Laidler, D. (2020). Measuring hagioptasia: A case study in theory-testing through Internet-based personality scale development. Personality and Individual Differences, 159, 109919
Sedikides, Constantine, and Tim Wildschut. “Finding meaning in nostalgia.” Review of General Psychology 22.1 (2018): 48-61.
Wildschut, Tim, et al. “Nostalgia: content, triggers, functions.” Journal of personality and social psychology 91.5 (2006): 975
Hagioptasia 